FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a trim-ring auxiliary member system having a lighting housing and a supporting spring member. Lighting fixtures of the recessed or track variety, generally include a cylindrical can-like housing for enclosing the light source, the socket, wiring, baffle or reflector, and trim means for decoratively covering the open end of the can.
In most of such housings, portions of the sheet metal walls are punched out and deflected inwardly forming lugs, or auxiliary brackets are welded to the inside of the housing, to support such baffles, trim-ring means or other assembly means. Such lugs, or brackets, generally have extremely sharp burr edges. For two such examples, in the patent issued to Lester Gilman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,575, see lugs 62, and in the patent issued to Earl F. Miles, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,651, see mounting 68 welded to the interior wall and projecting inwardly from housing 21. Such lugs are rigidly fixed to the wall of the can-like housing and unless there are a plurality of axially spaced lugs there is little or no choice in the selection of support means.
The means used for fastening the trim rings or other means to such lugs generally are well known and may be either torsion springs such as spring 99 in the patent to Miles, set forth above, or tension springs (not shown) described in Column 3, lines 26-29, in the patent to Gilman, set forth above. In each instance, it is necessary for the installer to insert his hands into the interior of the can to install the secondary retaining spring members and thereby expose his hands to the sharp burrs on the edges of the sheet metal lugs used to support the retaining spring members.